Jose Martin Portal Obregon — Production Systems & Food Safety Specialist
Everything you need to understand what Agriculture Victoria requires, check where your farm stands today, and get your records audit-ready — whether your records live in a shed folder, a notebook, or a spreadsheet. No enterprise software, no per-employee fees — built for how small and mid-size farms actually run.
Check if your farm is ready →Since February 2025, all Victorian growers of leafy vegetables, berries, and melons must register with Agriculture Victoria and demonstrate they have a Food Safety Management System in place. Audits begin in 2027.
Good news: A 50% discount on registration fees applies in 2026. If you haven't registered yet, now is the best time — before the window closes and audits begin.
In practice, an auditor will want to see that you have records covering these areas:
| What they check | What it means in practice | Required |
|---|---|---|
| Chemical use records | What you sprayed, on which crop, when, and by whom | ✓ |
| Withholding period compliance | Proof that produce wasn't harvested before the safe period after spraying | ✓ |
| Planting records | What variety, where it was planted, and when | ✓ |
| Harvest records | What was cut, from which block, how much, and when | ✓ |
| Delivery & cold chain | Who received the produce, temperature at dispatch, and date | ✓ |
| Traceability | Ability to trace any batch from paddock to customer and back | ✓ |
| Records available for inspection | All records must be retrievable quickly — digital or paper | ✓ |
Most growers are already doing these four things every week. The question is whether those records would hold up if someone asked to see them tomorrow. Here's what each activity needs to capture.
Every chemical application needs a record — pesticide, herbicide, or fertiliser.
The starting point of your traceability chain. Without it, nothing else connects.
Links your planting records to delivery. This is where the traceability chain closes.
Protects you if a customer raises a quality concern after produce leaves your farm.
Whether you need guidance, a system, or both — the service is tailored to your farm.
An on-farm session to review your current practices against the Agriculture Victoria requirements. Walk away with a clear action plan and no surprises at audit time.
A simple, phone-friendly system that records your four key activities — Spray, Planting, Harvesting, and Delivery — and connects them into a one-click traceability report. No software licences. Accessible from any device.
Currently working as Production Supervisor at a commercial hydroponic facility in Victoria. 10+ years across food safety, QA, and fresh produce operations. Bachelor of Microbiology. HACCP and GMP compliance background.
All systems I build are live in active commercial operations — not prototypes. The digital record-keeping system currently running for a nursery in Werribee South manages 2,800+ records across 8+ product lines.